


This Feels Like Home

by controlofwhatido, luckie_dee



Category: Glee RPF
Genre: M/M, otter!chris, otter!darren
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-09
Updated: 2015-05-09
Packaged: 2018-03-29 13:12:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3897652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/controlofwhatido/pseuds/controlofwhatido, https://archiveofourown.org/users/luckie_dee/pseuds/luckie_dee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darren and Chris as otters! For <a href="http://alittledizzy.tumblr.com">Mandy's</a> birthday!</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Feels Like Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dizzy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dizzy/gifts).



> Happy birthday Mandy! We’re aware that some of this is not typical otter behavior, but… Chris and Darren. As otters. ♥ (There’s only a little bit of angst and a smidge of h/c… hope you enjoy!)

“There's someone new here,” Darren says, scampering to the edge of the rocks where Joey is hoisting himself out of the water. “I can smell someone new.”

Joey shakes himself briefly, sending up a cascade of droplets. “Duh. He's been there for hours. Which you would have known if you hadn't slept so long.”

Darren ignores the jibe and darts back and forth excitedly. “He's on the other side of the rocks. I want to meet him.”

“You want to meet  _everyone_ ,” Joey says dismissively. “Even all the humans outside the glass.”

“They  _like_  me.” Darren can't contain his energy any longer and dives smoothly into the water, making Joey's retort muffled and indistinct. Darren flips underwater, pushes firmly off with his paws against the rocks at the bottom, and breaks the surface again laughing. “What?”

“I  _said_  it's because you're a showoff,” Joey repeats, jumping in and giving him a shove.

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” Darren shoots back, swimming a quick lap around Joey before darting away to the other end of the pool, leaving with a flip of his back feet that's sure to splash.

*

After Darren lazily licks at his fur for a while, his favorite human steps out. He likes her the most because he usually can get extra fish from her. He  _loves_  fish. 

He can tell right away that something is different this time. She doesn't have her usual toys and isn't playfully giving everyone signals. Darren eyes her suspiciously until she motions just for him to follow. 

"Ooh, someone's in trouble!" Joey says from the water, giggling helplessly and falling onto his back. 

Darren quickly glances at Joey before starting to move. "Shut up, no I'm not." At least, he  _hopes_  not.

Trouble or no, the lure of fish is strong, so Darren follows Lauren through an opening behind the big rock. He's been back here before, sometimes when he doesn't feel well, and it looks really different than where he usually lives. The ground is smooth and white and the lights are bright and make a low buzzing noise. Lauren rewards him with some loud, cheerful noises and a morsel of fish. Darren eats it, but he's distracted before he even gets done chewing. 

Because the other otter is  _here_. 

He follows his nose across the room, and Lauren scoots out of his way before following him, making more happy sounds. Darren stops only when he can't go any farther, because there's a flat wall made out of empty metal squares, and on the other side, an otter with light brown fur curled up in the corner.

"What's your name?" Darren asks, impatiently wiggling because he wants to  _play_ and make a new friend but the silly wall is in the way. 

The otter barely moves; he just seems to wrap himself into a tighter ball and lets out a barely audible, "Chris." 

Darren's tail thumps against the hard ground and he just wishes he could get  _closer_. "I'm Darren!" He accepts another piece of fish and notices the longing look Chris gives Lauren. "She'll give you fish, too! She has the  _best_ fish. Do you want to come play?" 

Chris's ears perk up a little and his whiskers twitch -- Darren  _swears_  it -- but then he huddles back in on himself. "I don't think so."

Lauren crouches down next to Darren and sneaks a piece of fish through the wall. Chris raises his head to look at it, and she makes encouraging noises. "See?" Darren says. "It's  _really_  good. You should eat it and come play with us! We can play tag. Or keep away! We have a lot of toys. Or do races in the water. Are you a fast swimmer?" 

Chris sniffs toward Lauren but doesn't reach for the treat. "I...I don't like humans." 

"Why? Humans are great! They give us fish and toys and like to play with us!" Darren says, barking happily at Lauren. "I love humans!" 

"Humans aren't very nice to me," Chris says quietly, looking away from Lauren and Darren. 

"But..." Darren's voice trails away. He glances at the piece of fish, then back at Chris. It doesn't make sense. Lauren is being nice to him  _right now_. He feels like Chris wouldn't like it if he said that though. He finally settles on, "Don't you want your fish? She gave you fish."

Chris shrugs.

"I mean, it's nice that she gave you fish, right?" Darren asks cautiously. 

"They have to do  _that_ ," Chris retorts, quickly dismissing the idea. 

Darren doesn't know how to respond, and he looks up at Lauren. She's nice; Darren  _knows_  she is, but he doesn't know yet how to convince Chris. Lauren's face doesn't look happy. She sneaks another piece of fish through to Chris and then stands, motioning for Darren to follow her. 

He hesitates at first, casting a longing look at Chris, wishing he knew how to make Chris stop curling up in the corner and come out to play instead. "The humans here are awesome. I promise." 

"Okay," Chris says. He doesn't sound like he believes it.

"Okay," Darren echoes. "Well... I hope you'll come play with us soon."

"Bye, Darren." 

"See you," Darren replies, because  _goodbye_ sounds too final. He follows Lauren across the room, but he can't help stealing one last glance over his shoulder before he goes back out to the rocks and the water. Chris is in the corner, but both pieces of fish are gone. It's not a lot, but it makes Darren happy.

*

As soon as Darren returns to the water, Joey jumps on him, sending them both spiraling down, twisting and turning around each other until they finally surface – just barely missing barreling into Julia. "Joey! I wasn't gone that long!" 

"Dude, I know - but I got worried!" Joey says, splashing the water with his tail. "What happened back there?" 

"I met Chris!" Darren says before doing a quick backflip, shaking his head when he emerges again. "He's new - he's back there but he won't come out and play." 

Joey hops up on the rocks and looks curiously at the door. "What's wrong with him? Who  _doesn't_ want to play?"

Darren doesn't like the way Joey says that. He jumps up out of the water too, and his whiskers twitch a little with irritation. "Why do you think there's something wrong with him?"

"He doesn't want to  _play_ ," Joey repeats, slowly and carefully. 

"That doesn't mean there's something  _wrong_  with him. He just seems kind of – sad. And lonely." Darren looks over at where the rocks open up. "He should be out here with us."

Joey's already losing interest, leaving Darren's side to retrieve the orange ball from the corner of their space. "Only if he wants to play," he calls absently over his shoulder.

"I bet I could make him," Darren says. He takes off after Joey, reaching the ball just before him and they tumble into a heap. 

"You are such a jerk!" Joey shouts, yanking the ball away and pushing it back toward the water.

Darren glances one last time at the rock wall. "I hope they'll give me another chance to try." 

"Are you coming?" Joey calls.

“Heck yeah, I am!" Darren yells gleefully, scampering over, knocking the ball into the water, and diving in after it. Joey follows with a splash.

*

Darren gets his second chance the next day. 

It's after playtime that Lauren encourages Darren back to the room where he met Chris yesterday. Darren's a little tired – Lauren had him do  _so_  many tricks for the humans – but he immediately perks up when he sees Chris out of his cage, slowly floating around in the little pool beside it, the one that is usually used while they're getting their checkups. 

"Chris!" Darren says excitedly, scurrying over to get closer to the edge. He doesn't jump right in - there's not enough room for both of them in there - but he barks happily at the sight of Chris lazily swimming around on his back. "This must mean you're ready to play!" 

Chris rolls over onto his stomach and stares at Darren. "Why are you being so nice to me?" 

"Everyone is nice here!" Darren says, whiskers twitching. He  _really_  wishes there was enough water so he could jump in and join Chris. Lauren dangles a fish in front of his face and he gobbles it up right away, beaming when Chris doesn't even hesitate with taking his own treat. "See? I told you Lauren was a nice human! I don't lie to friends." 

Chris seems guarded, like he's trying to make his whole body smaller. He looks at Darren with cautious eyes, dark in the soft brown fur of his face, and Darren just wishes he could make them  _happier_. "What makes you think we're friends?" Chris finally asks.

Darren sidles a little closer to the pool. "I  _want_  to be your friend," he says eagerly. "I like you!" 

"Being friends takes both of us," Chris points out. "Both of us have to like each other."

"Are you saying you don't like me?" It's a bold question, and Darren knows it. He also knows that Chris's answer might have him floating around in the big pool and sulking for the rest of the afternoon. He hopes not.

Chris just watches him for another long moment and then says, "I don't know you."

Darren gets as close to the edge as he can. "Well," he replies, "there's only one way to change that!"

They each get a piece of fish and Darren thinks Lauren is pleased with the progress he's making. When Chris stays quiet, Darren dips his face into the water and comes up so fast, a few droplets end up spraying Chris. "What's your favorite toy?" Darren asks. He figures the first step of being friends is getting to know each other. 

Chris shakes the water off his face and swims away from Darren - as far as he can in the tiny pool. "I...don't have a favorite toy. I've never really played with toys."

Darren barks in shock. "How is that even possible? We have _so_ many toys here!" 

Chris does a flip in the water and shakes his fur out. "They didn't have toys for us at my last home."

"Well, now you have to come out and play with us! Joey and I play with toys _all_ the time. My favorite is the ball!" Darren happily accepts another snack from Lauren. "She gives me so many treats when we play with the ball together," he says, nodding toward Lauren.

Chris cocks his head. "So are you in it for the ball or the fish?" 

Darren's  _pretty_  sure that Chris is teasing him, although he's still being kind of distant and quiet. So maybe. Darren's probably at least half sure. He’s so pleased that he can't stop a full-body wriggle. "Both, duh!" He wishes again that the pool were big enough for him to jump in, too. He perches on the edge of it and dips both his front paws in.

"Do you ever think that maybe she  _wants_  you to play with the ball and that's why she gives you treats?" Chris asks. He looks wary again, keeping a watchful eye on Darren's feet in the water.

"Well," Darren says, "yeah. But like, it's a win-win then, right? I mean, sometimes I have to play with the ball a certain way to get  _more_  food, but either way, I get to play  _and_  eat. It's pretty awesome."

"Why do you want to do what she wants you to do?" 

"Why wouldn't I?" Darren asks. 

Lauren passes him a piece of fish, and he accepts it. She tries to lure Chris forward from the other side of the pool, but he stays where he is. "Doesn't she ever -- want you to go in a really small cage? Or leave you alone for a long time? Or forget to give you fresh food?"

"No, never!" Darren exclaims. 

Chris swims a little closer to Darren, but not close enough to take a treat from Lauren. "So... you like it here? Really?" 

When Darren tries to lean over just a  _tiny_  bit closer, he almost falls in. Taking a second to get his footing again, he notices Chris maybe looks a  _little_  bit amused. "I love it here! I get to take long naps, play whenever I want, and I get  _so_  many snacks." 

"So..." Chris trails off, glancing at Lauren. "You're not just trying to trick me? You really want to... play with me?" 

"Dude!" Darren exclaims, slapping his tail against the ground. "That's what I've been trying to  _say_!" He must be doing something right because Lauren claps and gives him  _two_  pieces of fish. "C'mon, it's amazing out there – I can introduce you to all of my friends!" 

"Oh," Chris says quietly, sinking a little in the water. "They... never mind. They won't like me. I'll just stay... in here." 

"Bullshit," Darren says. "Chris... you're awesome. I can already tell. Everyone will love you!" 

"I'm more comfortable in here," Chris insists, "really."

"You don't even know what's out there. I mean – “ Darren leans forward again and runs his front paws through the water “ – this is nice, but out there is so much better. You should come with me. Will you?" 

Darren thinks for a second that Chris is considering it. He even drifts forward a little in the water, but then he says, "No. Not... not today." 

"Will you think about it? Please?" Darren asks. 

"Yeah, okay. I will," Chris promises. He's gotten awfully close, almost close enough for Darren to reach out and bump noses with him, like he does with Joey and Meredith and everyone. Just as he thinks about doing it, though, Chris startles backwards, putting several inches between them. He flips over in the water and lets himself turn so he's facing the wall. "Bye, Darren."

"See you later," Darren replies, oddly disappointed. 

Lauren, on the other hand, looks thrilled. She makes excited noises, gives Darren two more pieces of fish, and even leaves two on the edge of the pool for Chris, who hasn't turned back around.

Just before he leaves, Darren looks over his shoulder again, and he feels a lot happier when he sees that those two pieces are gone. 

*

Darren doesn't even wait for Lauren to call for him after playtime the next day; he's already right next to her, ready to be led into where Chris is. She doesn't seem surprised, and he gets a couple of treats before he follows her through the door. 

He's elated to see Chris is still out of his cage, floating around in the water and there's even a ball bobbing around with him in the pool. "Chris! You have a toy!" Darren scampers over and just barely catches himself from diving right in. 

Chris twists his head and glances at the ball, but doesn't make any effort to move it. "Lauren gave it to me this morning." 

"Did you play with it? That one's one of my  _favorites_ ," Darren says, whiskers twitching in excitement. He wishes Chris was in a bigger pool so they could play together in the water. 

Chris flicks a paw, sending a wave toward the ball that makes it hit up against the side of the pool. "Not really, no." 

The momentum of the ball carries it towards Darren. He grabs it eagerly and holds it tight against the edge of the pool so it doesn't float away again. "Why not?"

"I don't know." Chris flips over in the water and looks at him. " _That_ doesn't look very fun."

Darren barks. "Well, obviously! We’re not playing with it yet." 

"Oh," Chris says. He squints at the ball, somewhere between suspicious and curious. "What do you – do? With it?"

 _He doesn't know how to play_ , Darren realizes, and it makes him feel sad, but excited too, because maybe he can teach Chris how. "Whatever you want!" he exclaims. He leans forward to shove the ball under the water, and it slips out of his grasp and pops back to the surface. Darren scrambles to catch it again, but it slides away from him and toward Chris as the water sloshes around them.

Chris watches the ball warily, then reaches out and touches it gently with one paw. 

"Go ahead, give it a try!" Darren encourages him. When Chris just holds the ball lightly, Darren nods to the ledge next to the pool. "We can try one of those if you don't want to use the ball." There are some brightly colored tubes and plastic shapes piled there. Lauren must have  _really_  been trying to get Chris to play.

"No, this is fine," Chris says. He grasps the ball more fully, and then tries to push it under the water like Darren had. It doesn't go easily, and he lets out a startled  _hey!_ as it shoots up to the surface and away.

The surprised look on his face makes Darren bark with happiness. He bats the ball back toward Chris and shouts, "Try again! You can do better than that." He's so focused that Lauren has to put a piece of fish almost right under his nose before he takes it.

Chris glares at him a little, but then he transfers the look to the ball, and Darren watches with delight as Chris lunges for it, so hard that he's thrown off balance and rolls to the side in the water. He keeps his grip on the ball until the last second, when it squirts out of his grasp again and flies toward the far side of the pool. Chris rights himself and shakes his head, flinging drops of water.

"So," Darren calls, wiggling and itching to join in, "what do you think?"

Chris goes after the ball again and knocks it closer to Darren. "I think... I think I could like this." 

"Yes!" Darren cheers, slapping a paw against the water. "It's  _way_  more fun out there – lots more water to swim in." 

When Lauren offers both of them a treat, Chris accepts his readily. "You're right; she does have the best fish." 

Darren barks cheerfully and splashes at the water again. He's so  _happy_  that Chris seems to be feeling better – that he's learning to play instead of shying away from everything in his cage. "Didn't I tell you that? See – you can believe what I say." 

Chris dips his head in the water and shakes his head  _hard_ , the droplets spraying far enough to get Darren in the face. "It's possible." 

"Hey!" Darren says, flicking some water back at Chris with his paw. "So... will you come with me – out there? Meet my friends?" 

He regrets it immediately, as Chris cringes down into the water. "Um... maybe some other time."

"But we're having so much fun!" Darren says, deflating a little. 

"We hit a ball back and forth a few times," Chris retorts as he flips over to float again. He sounds dismissive, but Darren thinks that he's  _trying_  to sound that way. 

"And it was fun, right?" Darren presses, scooting along the edge of the pool so he can catch Chris's eye.

Chris tries to avoid his gaze, but then he sighs and looks back. "Yeah," he admits, a mixture between grudging and wistful. "It was."

Darren crouches and leans forward. "So why don't you want to come play with everyone else?" he asks more seriously. 

"I don't like..." Chris lets the words trail away, and for a second, Darren is afraid that he isn't going to finish. He heaves another deep breath though and faces Darren head on, like he's daring Darren to find something wrong with what he's about to say. "I don't like being in big groups."

Darren just nods solemnly. "That's okay. Do you like me?"

Chris blinks at him. "Well – I guess you're  _okay_ ," he finally says.

It's not exactly a ringing endorsement, but he's teasing too, and Darren perks up, squirming back and forth. "You like me! So hanging out with them is just like hanging out with six of me!"

"You say that like it's a  _good_  thing," Chris shoots back. 

"Hey, six of me would be  _awesome_ ," Darren says indignantly. He arches his back and takes the snack Lauren is holding for him. "You don't  _have_  to play with everyone out there... but there's so much more water and we could play together!" 

Chris flips over onto his back and floats there for a moment. "But I like it back here... it's quiet." 

Darren slumps and nods, accepting that Chris maybe just needs a little more time to get acclimated. "You don't know how much fun it is until you try it, right? I mean, you liked playing with the ball! Maybe... tomorrow?" 

Chris lazily pushes himself around with his paws and rolls over once before looking at Darren again. "Maybe, I'll think about it," he says, accepting a fish from Lauren when he swims near her. "If she gives me lots of fish." 

Barking in Lauren's direction (which gets him another treat), Darren wiggles happily. "I bet she'll give you  _tons_  of fish if you come out and play!" Darren knows that's what Lauren wants – that's why she brought him back here – and he thinks they'll  _both_  get a ton of fish if he can get Chris out into the main area. 

When Chris flips back over onto his stomach, he mumbles something Darren doesn't understand because Chris has half of his face dipped in the water. 

Darren tries to inch closer, but he's already teetering on the edge of the little pool. "What... what was that? I couldn't hear you." 

"I said," Chris says quietly, just barely lifting his head all the way out of the water. "That... maybe I'll come with tomorrow, as long as I can play with you." 

"You definitely can," Darren assures him. "I want to play with you too!"

Chris looks happy, and Darren practically bounces out of the room.

*

When Darren wakes up the next morning, he can't stay still. He has an excess of energy on a normal day, but he spends so much time zipping from one end of the pool to the other and turning somersaults in the water that Joey eventually calls him on it. "Dude, what is going  _on_  with you?" 

Darren flips one more time, then surfaces and exclaims, "Chris is going to play with us today!" while he enthusiastically shakes water from his fur.

"Good," Joey says. "You've been talking about him for days; it's about time we meet him."

There's a glint in his eye that Darren doesn't like. "You're going to love him, but – just be nice to him, okay? And don't be too weird. He's... shy."

Joey stares at him. " _You're_  telling  _me_  not to be weird?"

Darren flicks water at his face. "Just go easy on him at first, all right?" 

"Oh, of  _course_." 

"Joe, I'm serious."

He's pretty sure Joey gets it, because after looking at Darren's face for a minute, he says, "Yeah, okay, okay. You really like him, huh?"

Julia surfaces next to them. "Isn't it obvious, Joseph? Our sweet little Darren's in love." 

Darren scoffs and dips his head in the water in embarrassment. "I – I am  _not_ ," he says, shaking the water out of his eyes. "He's just really awesome." He doesn't bother trying to fight the  _little_  comment – he's bigger than Julia even though she's a few months older, but he's small compared to other boys like Joey. 

"Aww, ickle Darren has a crush!" Joey exclaims before lunging at Darren and sending them both tumbling underwater. 

Darren playfully fights with Joey, somersaulting around each other until they reach the rocks at the bottom. Joey gives up first, darting away and swimming back toward Julia. "You're just jealous I have a new friend," Darren says after he surfaces. He sees Lauren steps out and he barks happily, easily forgetting about Joey and Julia and races over to her. It must be time to get Chris! 

And it is. When Darren scuttles over to the pool, he finds Chris in the water, like usual, but instead of drifting around, he's waiting near the edge. "I thought she was probably going to get you," he says when Darren gets closer. "She usually comes back with you when she goes out through there." 

"Chris!" Darren exclaims. "I've been waiting to see you all day!"

He's kind of hoping that Chris will say the same thing, but he seems distracted by looking past Darren, back at the door. "Is that – where everything else is? Right out there?"

"Yes! And everyone can't wait for you to come outside. I told them all about you."

Chris glances at him then, warily. "You did?"

"Of course," Darren says. Lauren slips them both a piece of fish and makes encouraging noises.

"Like what?"

Darren hops back and forth a little, excited and impatient. "Just how cool you are and how much they're going to like you."

"Great," Chris mutters. 

He sounds less than thrilled, and Darren stops bouncing to look closely at him. "You're still going to come play, right?"

Chris takes a deep breath, then lets it out. "Yes. Yes I am."

Darren barks happily when Chris pulls himself out of the pool and cautiously makes his way closer. "I'm so excited! I can't wait to get out there and play with you," he says, just barely restraining himself from nudging his nose against Chris's. 

Lauren claps and gives them both two treats before leading them out of the back room. 

"Are there... many others?" Chris asks, following just behind Darren. 

"Lots!" Darren says, glancing back to make sure Chris is still with them. "I mostly play with Joey and Julia, but they're all my friends. They're about to be your friends, too!" 

"Maybe," Chris says quietly right before Lauren opens the door. 

Joey is the first one to greet them, immediately jumping out of the water when he sees them. "Dude!" 

Darren shakes his head in exasperation - usually he would dive right in but he needs to make sure Chris is comfortable and okay. "Chris, this is Joey. Don't listen to a word he says." 

"Oh yeah?" Joey asks. "What if I said that Darren is the coolest and you should totally hang out with him all the time, Chris. What about that, Dare? Should he listen to that?"

"I guess you'd be right for once in your life," Darren shoots back. "There's a first time for everything."

"Guys," Julia interrupts, climbing up onto the rock beside them. "Maybe we should be showing Chris around instead of trying to impress him with how  _hilarious_  we are?" she continues, her tone of voice making it clear that she doesn't think they're being very funny at all. 

Darren shoots her a glare, then turns to see that Chris is hanging back a little. "Sorry, Chris. This is Julia. She's pretty cool, I guess. Sometimes."

"Hi," Chris says, cautious but almost defiant at the same time. 

"Hey!" Joey exclaims excitedly, already angling back towards the water. "Darren says you're ready to play now. C'mon – jump in!" 

"Um – “ Chris starts. He looks over at Darren. "What exactly did you say about me?"

Darren can practically  _feel_  Chris withdrawing again, so he rushes to reassure him. "That you're really awesome and we're all going to have so much fun playing together, just like I told you. Do you want to maybe come over to the edge first? Take a look?"

Chris visibly relaxes. "I'd like that," he says, and he, Darren, and Julia make their way to the side of the pool. Lauren makes happy-sounding noises as she follows, tossing them each multiple pieces of fish. 

Joey eats his and then turns toward the water. "I'm gonna swim. Join me whenever you're ready, losers," he calls, just before diving in.

"Ignore him," Julia advises as they watch him go. "We think he was probably raised by sea lions."

Darren turns to see that Chris  _is_  ignoring Joey. He's quiet, looking from one side of the pool to the other almost wonderingly. "It's so big," he finally murmurs.

"Yeah," Darren agrees happily. "It's really nice."

"My last home – wasn't anything like this," Chris adds. He cranes his neck around, looking at the layers of rock, the patches of snow that Lauren sometimes rolls into balls for them, the expanse of blue water.

Darren wants to ask him more about that, but not with Julia standing right next to them. He nods toward the pool instead. "Do you want to go in?"

Chris inches closer to the edge and glances over toward Darren. "Yes... yes, I do." 

Darren is glad most of his friends have followed Joey's lead and are swimming and floating around by the other end of the rocks, except Nick who is sound asleep right next to the snow. "Well then, c'mon! What are we waiting for?" He barks once before diving in, swimming quickly down to the bottom and back up, shaking his head once he surfaces to get the water out of his eyes. "It's so nice, Chris! C'mon!" 

"Okay," Chris says, nodding once before he dives in, too – not swimming all the way down to the bottom like Darren did, but just enough to submerge his whole body. "Wow," he says, peeking just his head above water. "It's… really nice." 

Darren flicks some water in Chris's direction with his paw and does a backflip before eagerly taking a fish from Lauren, who is standing at the edge, clapping at them. "It's the  _best_  out here!" 

Chris does a backflip of his own, then pop backs up and immediately rubs the fur on his head with both his front paws. "It is pretty great." 

Darren's so happy that he turns an excited barrel roll in the water. "I – “

"The end of that sentence better not be  _told you so_ ," Chris cuts him off, punctuating his warning with a stern look.

Darren sputters. "No! No – I was just going to say that... that we should..."

Chris watches him flounder, and then suddenly, a mischievous expression flits across his face. In one quick, smooth motion, he flips over, splashes water in Darren's face, and disappears under the surface.

"Hey!" Darren barks, but he doesn't waste any more time before diving after Chris.

They make it almost to the far side of the tank before Chris does a quick somersault and reverses course, with Darren hot on his heels. When Chris breaks the surface again, he's almost back to where they started. Darren pops up nearby a moment later, and although this is where he'd usually tackle one of his other friends, he hangs awkwardly back, choosing to send another wave of water at Chris again with the flip of a paw.

"There's so much  _space_ ," Chris says, sounding about as happy as Darren has ever heard him.

He squints playfully at Chris, and then rushes out, " _Itoldyouso_." Chris scoffs, but before he can say anything, Darren shouts, "Come on! Let's go get a ball. We can play keep away!" He hops up onto the rocks, and even though Chris huffs out a half-annoyed, half-amused sound, he follows a few seconds later.

*

The next few days are  _great_. Chris only returns to the back room the first night to rest from an overwhelming day. After that, he stays with them all the time, and Darren happily shows Chris all the best rocks to sleep on and which tricks with the ball will get them the most treats. Darren loves having Chris around - he's much cooler than Joey. 

It's a slow day - only a few humans here and there to show off for, staring at them and poking at the glass. Darren's been watching Chris floating around off to the side, rubbing his face and rolling around in the water. Chris hasn't noticed him looking yet – and Darren’s glad, because he doesn't want Chris to think he's creepy. 

"So are you two mates for life yet or what?" Joey asks, climbing up on the rocks next to Darren. 

"What?" Darren yelps, craning his neck to see over Joey's body – he  _really_  hopes Chris didn't hear that. 

Joey glances in Chris's direction and then looks back at Darren. "Dude, ever since he showed up every other word out of your mouth is his name. Sounds like  _love_  to me." 

"I am  _not_  – “ Darren starts, then dives right into the water when he sees Chris slowly swimming over to them. "Just shut up, Joey," Darren says when he surfaces before turning around and meeting Chris in the middle. "Hi... hey! How are you? You good?" 

Chris cocks his head and looks at Darren curiously. "I'm about the same as I was twenty minutes ago when we were playing with the ball," he says, dipping his nose in the water and flicking a few droplets of water at Darren's face. "I'm actually happy here, which is a... new feeling." 

Darren's pretty confident that he's part of the reason Chris is happy now, but he doesn't like to hear that Chris was  _unhappy_  before. No one should ever be unhappy – not when there's fish to eat and balls to play with and lots of water to swim in. "Was it... really bad? At your old home?" 

Instead of answering right away, Chris rolls slowly over onto his back. He takes a deep breath and then looks at Darren. "It wasn't good. Not like this."

"Did they... hurt you?" Darren asks, his voice barely more than a whisper, and he's scared of Chris's answer.

Luckily, the response is a quick, "No!" Darren sighs in relief as Chris adds, "No, it wasn't like... that."

"What  _was_ it like?" Darren asks.

Chris watches him carefully. "You really want to know?"

 _I want to know everything about you_ , Darren doesn't say, because that would be weird. Instead, he says, "I do, if you want to tell me. We're – we're friends, right?"

"Friends," Chris says, which isn't really an answer. There's a splash nearby, and it startles Chris, who turns sharply to look at Nick and Joey wrestling not far away. He flips over in the water again. "Let's talk over there, on the rocks." He nods toward the far end of their space, away from everyone else.

Darren can tell Chris is uncomfortable as they settle in next to each other. But he wants to know what bad memories Chris has so he can work on replacing all of them with new, happy ones. "Is this okay?" 

Chris looks around and seems satisfied that they're far enough away from the others. "My old home was much, much smaller than this." 

"I can't even imagine..." Darren trails off, looking out over the water where Joey is now floating around, rubbing at his face with one paw. They have  _so_ much space; it never seems crowded even when they're all playing at the same time. He's so  _glad_  Chris is here now. 

"There wasn't much room to swim around and play," Chris says quietly, not quite meeting Darren's eyes. "We never got treats for doing anything. I don't know any tricks like you do – I never learned." 

Darren lets out a sad noise and wants to cuddle closer to Chris, but he's nervous that Chris doesn't want that. "You can learn here! I can help you!" 

"Thank you," Chris replies absently, like he's not really paying attention to what Darren is saying. "We had to go in our cages a lot. Sometimes it wasn't very clean. There weren't any toys... but you already know that."

And that's  _it_ ; Darren can't take it anymore, and he burrows impulsively up against Chris's side. "Chris, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry it was like that, but you're here now, and it's  _good_  here, and you never have to go back there again!"

Chris is frozen beside him, but while Darren talks he relaxes, slowly, just a little. "Um... thanks." He sounds flustered. Then, suddenly, he leans back against Darren and adds, more seriously even though he still seems kind of hesitant, "I'm glad. I'm glad I'm here and... that you're here and we got to meet each other." 

"Me too," Darren says quietly.

There's a breath of a pause, two breaths, and Chris is straightening up, shifting away. "Um, okay. Good. Oh – hey, look, Joey's got the orange ball. We should go take it away from him, don't you think?"

Darren blinks at him, disoriented by the rapid change in mood. "Sure, yeah. Sounds like fun." They look at each other for a second, and then Darren tacks on a belated, "Race you?"

"You're on," Chris says. He jumps quickly into the water and darts away. A moment later, Darren follows.

*

It takes a few days for Julia to say anything, which surprises Darren – she's not one to hold back. He's in the middle of a pretty excellent nap right by the snow when she nudges him awake. 

"What – _why_ ," Darren says, inching away from Julia. "I was sleeping!" 

She glares at him and nods her head in Chris's direction, where he’s busy floating in the water by the window and rubbing his face with his paws. "Why haven't you told him yet?" 

Darren tries to shake himself awake, only half succeeding. "Told him what?" He's  _pretty_  sure he knows what Julia is getting at, but that doesn't mean he wants to  _talk_  to her about it.

"Darren," Julia says sternly. "I'm not Joey – don't pull that with me." She pokes him with her paw hard enough to make him wince. "If you wait for him... you're going to be waiting a long time." 

Sighing, Darren rolls onto his back and tries  _not_  to stare at Chris. "I don't want to like... pressure him, Julia. He's been through – well, let's just say he's been through a lot." He twists back over onto his stomach, moving to take a dive into the water but Julia blocks his way. "Hey!" 

"I'm not done with you yet," she says, poking him again. "Darren... it sounds like he needs love and stability. You're a great guy and you deserve to be happy, too.  _Tell_  him." 

Darren watches her warily, then huffs. “I don’t know how.”

Julia makes a dubious noise. “Darren, you never  _stop_  talking. If there’s anything I’m confident you can do, it’s string a few words together. Probably more of them than necessary.”

Darren slumps back against the rocks. “ _Julia_ , this is  _serious_.”

“It must be. You never whine this much unless it is.” She scoots a little closer, apparently taking enough pity on him to stop teasing him and poking him. “Listen. The opportunity is going to present itself, and you’re going to know when the time is right. You will. But if all you do is wonder and wait, you’re  _both_  going to miss out on a lot of happiness.”

“What if —” Darren glances across to the other side of their space, where Chris is grooming himself and refusing Joey’s increasingly insistent requests to play tag “— what if I just… make him scared again? He’s finally not scared to be here anymore.”

“Darren?” Julia says, and then waits until he looks back at her. “I wouldn’t worry about that if I were you.”

*

Darren spends the rest of the day unusually quiet. He still plays ball with Chris, but instead of harassing Joey like usual, or showing off for the humans with Meredith, he floats around and just  _thinks_. He wants to tell Chris – wants to tell him so  _badly_  but if he scares Chris off, he'd be  _so_  mad at himself. 

He’s still adrift on the surface of the water by himself when everything is still and the lights go dim.

"It gets so quiet in here after all the humans on the other side of the glass are gone," Chris says, slowly swimming up next to Darren. 

Darren stays floating on his back, but he twists his head toward Chris. He likes it when there's lots of people to show off for, but he likes relaxing too, and how peaceful it is when they go away.  

“It’s perfect for sleeping,” Darren says softly. “Especially after playing all day.”

Chris flips over on his back to drift nearby. “Aren’t you going to go up by the snow? You usually sleep up there.”

Something inside Darren warms because Chris knows that. “Nah, it’s nice right here.”

“It is nice,” Chris agrees. He seems really at ease and comfortable, and when Darren glances over at him again, sneaking a peek in the low light, Chris is practically oozing contentment. It’s a far cry from the nervous, cowering otter Darren had met all those weeks ago.

It suddenly occurs to Darren that opportunity might be presenting itself.

His heart flutters. He hadn’t expected it to be so  _soon_. “Chris,” he starts, cautiously, trying to keep the nerves out of his voice, “do you like living here?”

“Darren,” Chris scoffs. “Of course. I just said it was nice.”

“No, man, don’t just say  _of course_  like it’s nothing. I mean  _really_  — do you like living here?”

Chris is still and silent for a moment. “It took some getting used to,” he finally admits. “I didn’t like where I was, but at least I was used to it. This was a huge change. Your friends are overwhelming.” He pauses, then quietly adds, “You’re overwhelming.”

“Is that… a good thing or a bad thing?” Darren asks, twisting a little in the water.

“It was just a lot at first,” Chris replies diplomatically.

“That means bad.”

“Darren —”

“But,” Darren cuts him off, “you like living here now, right?”

Chris looks over at him like he’s crazy. “I think we established that, yes. I like living here.”

Darren feels like he’s totally messing it all up, but he plows ahead. “Do you like living here — with me?”

“Oh,” Chris says. He looks down. “Yes. I do.”

He’s just so  _cute_ , and without even thinking about it, Darren darts out one paw to wrap it around Chris’s. It makes their bodies slide closer together in the water, and Darren tucks himself in next to Chris like it’s natural for him to be there.

Chris startles, and his eyes fly up to where their paws are joined, then to Darren’s face. “What are you – “

“I don’t want you to drift away while we sleep,” Darren says, low.

“Oh,” Chris whispers.

Darren takes a deep breath. “I don’t ever want you to drift away.”

“Oh,” Chris repeats. And then, miraculously, he tugs on Darren’s paw to bring them a little closer. “Me neither.”

His words are woefully inadequate, but Darren manages to get out a quiet, “Well, good.” They cuddle in together and Darren closes his eyes, even though he has no idea how he’s supposed to sleep when he’s  _this_  happy.

He drifts anyway, his paw latched firmly with Chris’s, just enjoying how perfectly content and ecstatic he feels, until Chris whispers, “Hey, Darren?”

“Yeah?” Darren asks, keeping his eyes closed.

“You know what?”

“What?”

“I think,” Chris says, “I think this finally feels like home.”

Darren squeezes his paw and they float together.

[](http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/luckiedee/media/7963380d-4a10-432b-88db-3b2bb8f0b4cc.jpg.html)

**Author's Note:**

> [Reblog on Tumblr!](http://controlofwhatido.tumblr.com/post/118520336480/fic-this-feels-like-home-chris-darren)


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